Container for maintaining confection moisture

ABSTRACT

A container for maintaining confection moisture includes a main body having one or more side walls and bottom section defining a hollow interior space and a lid sealing mechanism that is secured along the upper portion of the side walls for engaging a removable lid having a complementary base sealing mechanism located along a bottom end thereof. The container further including a moisture chamber having a plurality of side walls, at least one of which including a plurality of openings disposed therein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to bake ware and storage containers, and more particularly to a container and container lid for maintaining moisture in confections.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

As any baker will attest, cookies and other confections have a tendency to loose their moisture at a rapid pace after they have been cooked. The loss of moisture is due to the fact that cookies contain large amounts of sugar which is hygroscopic in nature. To this end, cookies are constantly pulling moisture out of the air. However, when cookies are placed in sealed containers for storage, the moisture of the air within the sealed container is quickly absorbed by the cookie, leaving only dry air. As a result, cookies become hard after a couple days and must be discarded.

Other baked goods such as bread, for example, have a disposition that is inverse to the hygroscopic nature of cookies. To this end, the open cell structure of bread actively dissipates moisture into the outside environment. This is why bread is packaged in sealed plastic, and then becomes stale after short exposure to the outside air.

Owing to the inverse relationship between these items, it is not uncommon for individuals to place slices of bread into the same storage container as cookies. When so positioned, the bread provides a constant source of moisture to the air within the sealed container from which the cookies can constantly draw. As a result, the bread becomes dry and the cookies remain moist.

Unfortunately, this arrangement presents several drawbacks whenever the bread makes contact with the cookies. To this end, those cookies touching the bread can absorb too much moisture, causing the cookie to fall apart, and denying the needed moisture to the remaining cookies within the container. Additionally, cookies making contact with the bread can retain bread particles which can affect the taste of the cookie.

Accordingly, there remains a need for a container capable of maintaining moisture within confections that are stored therein, that does not suffer from the drawbacks described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a container for maintaining confection moisture. One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body for storing confections, a removable lid for creating an airtight seal within the main body, and a moisture chamber having a plurality of openings for disseminating moisture throughout the interior of the main body.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a main body for storing confections having a moisture chamber secured therein.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include a removable lid capable of mating with a conventional storage container. The lid including a moisture chamber having a plurality of openings for disseminating moisture throughout the interior of the conventional storage container.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is an exploded parts view of a container for maintaining confection moisture that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a removable lid and moisture chamber in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of perspective view of the removable lid and moisture chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the container for maintaining confection moisture in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container for maintaining confection moisture in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

Although described throughout this document as utilizing bread and cookies, this is for illustrative purposes only, as the “bread” can be substituted for any type of moisture releasing ingredient that discharges stored moisture into the surrounding air Likewise, “cookies” can refer to virtually any type of confection such as pies, brownies, cakes and the like which are hygroscopic in nature.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a container for maintaining confection moisture 10 that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, the container can include a main body 11, a removable lid 20 and a moisture chamber 30.

The main body 11 can act as a vessel for storing confections, and can include a plurality of vertical side walls 11 a terminating along a generally planar bottom surface 11 b defining a hollow interior space H. A lid sealing mechanism/lip 12 can be positioned along the upper periphery of the side walls 11 a in order to securely engage a complementary sealing mechanism 22 of the removable lid 20.

In one preferred embodiment, the main body 11 can include a generally rectangular shape that is constructed from a strong, resilient and airtight material such as plastic, for example. Of course, any number of other shapes, sizes and construction materials are also contemplated.

The removable lid 20 can include an elongated member having a top surface 21 a and a bottom surface 21 b. A base sealing mechanism 22 can be disposed along the outer periphery of the lid so as to extend outward from the bottom surface 21 b. In one preferred embodiment, the lid 20 will also include a generally rectangular shape having a dimension that is complementary to the dimension of the main body, in order to allow the lid and main body to mate via the sealing mechanisms. The lid will preferably be constructed from an identical material to the main body 11, however other construction materials can also be utilized.

The lid sealing mechanism 12 and complementary base sealing mechanism 22 can include any number of different shapes and ridges so as to securely engage the main body and lid together in an airtight manner. Seals for removably joining containers and lids together in an airtight manner are extremely well known in the art and include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,716, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Although described above as separate elements, those of skill in the art will recognize that complementary sealing mechanism's 12 and 22 can also be integrally formed into the construction of the main body 11 and lid 20, respectively at a time of manufacture in accordance with any number of conventional construction methodologies.

The moisture chamber 30 can act to position bread or other moisture releasing substances within the interior space H of the main container body. As shown, the moisture chamber 30 can include a generally box-like shape having a dimension suitable for receiving a piece of bread. The chamber 30 can include an inside facing surface 30 a, an outside facing surface 30 b, and a plurality of side surfaces 30 c interposed therebetween and defining a hollow interior chamber space C. An opening 31 can be disposed within one or more of the side surfaces 30 c in order to receive and remove bread. A plurality of holes, openings and/or perforations 32 can be disposed throughout the surfaces 30 b and 30 c of the chamber so as to allow moisture from the bread to escape into the main body cavity.

The moisture chamber 30 can be secured within the container via any number of permanent bonding items such as glue, resin, welds and the like. Alternatively, the moisture chamber can be integrally formed into the construction of the lid 20 or main body 11 (See FIG. 5) at a time of manufacture, in accordance with known construction methodologies.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment, wherein the moisture chamber 30 is secured within the container in a removable manner. As shown, opposing strips of hook and loop material 35 can be attached to both the inside facing surface of the chamber 30 a and the bottom surface of the lid 21 b. When so positioned, the chamber can be connected to and removed from the device at will, as shown by arrow a. Although described above as utilizing hook and loop material, this is for illustrative purposes only, as any number of conventional devices and materials suitable for creating a temporary bond between 2 items can be utilized herein.

Although described above as including plastic construction, other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, the main body 11 can also be constructed from a heat resistant material such as steel or aluminum, for example, and can function as a baking pan. The lid 20 and moisture chamber 30 can also be constructed from steel or aluminum to cover the confection during a baking procedure and upon cooling the bread can be added to the moisture chamber 30.

As described above, sealing mechanisms between lids and container bodies are well known in the art, and are often utilized interchangeably by a variety of different manufacturers. Moreover, containers are often produced and sold in a plurality of standardized sizes. To this end, those of skill in the art will recognize that the lid 20 housing the moisture chamber 30 can be secured to any number of conventional container bodies in order to allow the inventive concepts described herein to be realized. Likewise, the main body 11 housing the moisture chamber 30 (See FIG. 5) can also be utilized with a conventional lid having a complementary size and sealing mechanism.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the container for maintaining confection moisture 10 in operation. As shown, cookies 5 can be stored within the interior space H of the main body, and bread 6 can be stored within the moisture chamber 30. When the lid and main body are securely closed via the sealing mechanism's 12 and 22, and/or an optional gasket 40, the interior space H becomes airtight. As such, the cookies and bread do not make direct contact, and moisture 2 is able to freely leave the bread 6 via the perforations 32 so as to be absorbed by the cookies 5.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a container for maintaining confection moisture 10 wherein the moisture chamber 30 is secured within the hollow interior space of the main body. As described above, the container can take any number of conventional shapes, such as a circular bowl shape 11′ illustrated in the present figure. As shown, the main body 11′ can include a generally circular/oval side wall 11 a′ terminating along a generally planar bottom surface 11 b′ defining a hollow interior space H. The sealing mechanism 12 can be positioned along the upper periphery of the side wall 11 a′

The removable lid 20′ can include a generally circular/oval side wall 21 c′ terminating into a generally planar member having a top surface 21 a′ and a bottom surface 21 b′. A sealing mechanism 22 can be disposed along the outer periphery of the side wall 21 c′ for mating with the complementary sealing mechanism 12, as per the description above.

As illustrated by the present embodiment, the moisture chamber 30 can be secured to the container main body 11′. To this end, the moisture container can also include a generally curved shape suitable for mating with the curved shape of the side wall 11 a′. Although illustrated as being secured to the side wall 11 a′, the chamber 30 can also be secured to the bottom surface 11 b (not illustrated).

As described herein, one or more elements of the container for maintaining confection moisture 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the individual elements of both the container and lid have been described separately, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that each element of both the main body and the lid can be formed together as one continuous element, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment, both the lid and the main body can be constructed from injection molded plastic having complementary shapes and dimensions for creating an airtight seal when secured together.

Accordingly, the container for maintaining confection moisture 10 can take any number of different shapes and sizes, and the moisture chamber can be secured to the lid or the main body in either a permanent or removable fashion.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A container for maintaining confection moisture, comprising: a main body having one or more side walls terminating along a bottom end into a generally planar bottom section, said side walls and bottom section defining a hollow interior space that is configured to receive and store confections, and a lid sealing mechanism secured along an upper end of the one or more side walls of the main body; a removable lid configured to be secured to the main body, said lid including a top surface, a bottom surface and a base sealing mechanism positioned along a periphery of the bottom surface, said removable lid including an overall dimension that is complementary to an overall dimension of the main body, wherein the lid sealing mechanism and the base sealing mechanism are configured to be removably engaged to form an airtight seal; and a moisture chamber having a plurality of walls for retaining a moisture releasing ingredient, at least one of said chamber walls including a plurality of openings configured to discharge moisture into the hollow interior space of the main body.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a metallic baking pan, and each of the lid and moisture chamber includes a metallic construction.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is permanently affixed to the bottom surface of the lid.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is removably affixed to the bottom surface of the lid.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is integrally formed into the construction of the bottom section of the lid.
 6. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is permanently affixed to the interior space of the main body.
 7. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is removably affixed to the interior space of the main body.
 8. The container of claim 1, wherein the moisture chamber is integrally formed into the construction of the main body.
 9. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid further includes a plurality of side walls interposed between the base sealing mechanism and the bottom surface.
 10. A container for maintaining confection moisture, comprising: a removable lid that includes a top surface, a bottom surface and a base sealing mechanism positioned along a periphery of the bottom surface, said removable lid including an overall dimension that is complementary to an overall dimension of the container main body; and a moisture chamber that is secured to the bottom surface of the removable lid, said chamber including a plurality of walls for retaining a moisture releasing ingredient, and at least one of said chamber walls including a plurality of openings configured to discharge moisture into the conventional main body, wherein the base sealing mechanism is configured to engage a complementary lid sealing mechanism of a container main body.
 11. The container of claim 10, wherein the moisture chamber is permanently affixed to the bottom surface of the lid.
 12. The container of claim 10, wherein the moisture chamber is removably affixed to the bottom surface of the lid.
 13. The container of claim 10, wherein the moisture chamber is integrally formed into the construction of the bottom section of the lid.
 14. A container for maintaining confection moisture, comprising: a main body having one or more side walls terminating along a bottom end into a generally planar bottom section, said side walls and bottom section defining a hollow interior space that is configured to receive and store confections, and a lid sealing mechanism secured along an upper end of the one or more side walls of the main body; and a moisture chamber that is secured to at least one of the side walls and the bottom section of the main body, said chamber including a plurality of walls for retaining a moisture releasing ingredient, and at least one of said chamber walls including a plurality of openings configured to discharge moisture into the hollow interior space of the main body, wherein the lid sealing mechanism is configured to engage a complementary base sealing mechanism of a removable lid.
 15. The container of claim 14, wherein the moisture chamber is permanently affixed to the interior space of the main body.
 16. The container of claim 14, wherein the moisture chamber is removably affixed to the interior space of the main body.
 17. The container of claim 14, wherein the moisture chamber is integrally formed into the construction of the main body. 